Hello 2021 and Goodbye 2020!

As we close out 2020, we here at Papas Toybox wish each, and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years. So much has occurred during 2020 that I often forget everything that has happened, both good and bad and through it all we have survived. Here is a little synopsis of global and personal events from 2020.

• January 2020
• Papas November 2019 layoff from his day job unfortunately continues.
• The December 2019 Australian Bushfires continued to burn and eventually destroyed 47 million acres, displaced thousands, and killed at least 34 people.
• The WHO announced that the deadly COVID-19 coronavirus had emerged from Wuhan China.
• While not a basketball fan myself, the world lost Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, Alyssa Altobelli, Leri Altobelli, John Altobelli, Christina Mauser, and the helicopter's pilot, Ara Zobayan.
• President Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives.
• Minnesota Gun Shows got off to a great start for 2020.
• Minnesota Governor Walz declared his first of over 100 2020 emergency Covid-19 declarations.
• U.S. Confirmed & Probable. CASES: 2 Deaths: UNKNOWN
• February 2020
• President Trump was acquitted of the impeachment charges by the U.S. Senate.
• PapasOutdoors.Com finally launches with over 1000 manufacturers and 100,000 products.  The downside was that this launch was supposed to have occurred in November 2019.
• Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood kingmaker was finally convicted of rape and other charges.
• Minnesota Gun Shows continued their strong showing in attendance and sales.
• U.S. Confirmed & Probable. CASES: 18 Deaths: 5
• March 2020
• The COVID-19 pandemic fully hits the U.S. with massive closings throughout the country.
• The Minnesota Governor declared the harshest Covid-19 declaration to date with the closing and cancellation of all gatherings of over 10 people in the state. Effectively killing every small business that relies on trade type shows and every small business that needs customers to survive.
• Minnesota Gun Shows come to a screeching halt ending the strong progress of Minnesota Gun Shows.
• The COVID-19 pandemic triggers a global recession causing the Dow Jones Industrial Average to suffer its worse single-day point drop ever.
• U.S. Confirmed & Probable. CASES: 196,932 Deaths: 4332
• April 2020
• In France a mass murderer chose a knife as his weapon of choice and left 2 people dead and 4 others injured.
• Additional Mass Shootings occurred in Nova Scotia, Canada (22 dead) and Lebanon (9 dead). Canada has very strict gun control laws and in Lebanon there is no legal right under the law for anyone to own guns.
• Global number of COVID-19 cases surpasses the 1 million mark.
• U.S. Confirmed & Probable. CASES: 1,073,216 Deaths: 59,999
• May 2020
• Violent Social unrest spread nationwide after the death of George Floyd at the hands of members of the Minneapolis Police Department.
• Canada announces even further gun control restrictions due to the mass shooting in April that left 22 dead.
• Doctors in Paris, France revealed that a patient admitted to the hospital in December 1999 had COVID-19
• 3 Russian doctors fighting COVID-19 “mysteriously” fell out of hospital windows.
• In the State of Washington, the world’s largest wasp, commonly known as “Murder Hornets” have been identified in the wild.
• U.S. Confirmed & Probable. CASES: 1,791,042 Deaths: 100,780
• June 2020
• Participated in 1^st Minnesota Gun Show in 3 months.
• Violent Social Protests continue in the US and expand across the globe.
• Violent Portland, Oregon protests begin that will last for over 100 continuous nights and will be marred by vandalism, chaos, assault, murder, and the creation of an armed “Exclusion Zone” where law enforcement was unlawfully prevented from entering.
• In the country of Yemen, 3 separate pandemics ravage the country. COVID-19, Chikungaya (a mosquito virus), and a large Cholera outbreak. In addition, Yemen continues to face a famine that is threatening the country.
• China and India tensions continue to rise after violent military clashes occur in the Himalayas.
• Parts of Delhi, India are overwhelmed with the worst locust invasions the country had seen in decades.
• China passes the controversial national security law which greatly affects Hong Kong by by-passing the Hong Kong Constitution.
• U.S. Confirmed & Probable. CASES: 2,622,225 Deaths: 120,257
• July 2020
• Participated in 2 more Minnesota and 1 Iowa Gun Shows.
• Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epsteins “madame” arrested in New Hampshire.
• Honduran Hospitals face collapse due to the overwhelming cases of COVID-19 patients.
• In Mongolia, the City of Bayannur was placed under a level 3 warning due to suspected cases of the Bubonic Plague.
• Another Cathedral fire in France occurs at the Nantes Cathedral. Fortunately the fire is not as devastating as the one that occurred previously in the Notre Dame Cathedral. Arson is suspected.
• It was announced by the WHO that there are over 163 COVID-19 vaccines in development around the world.
• U.S. Confirmed & Probable. CASES: 4,521,307 Deaths: 145.513
• August 2020
• Ahlmans Shooters Roundup cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions but still set up at Ahlmans 1-day parking lot tent sale. Also participated in 1 Iowa GunShow.
• Hurricane force level winds wreak havoc in Iowa leaving over 160,000 people without power, millions of acres of land and crops destroyed, and hundreds of buildings damaged.
• Joe Biden nominated as Democratic presidential Nominee.
• Kamala Harris chosen as Democratic VP candidate.
• Jeffrey Epstein did not commit suicide in his jail cell.
• Chadwick Boseman, “The Black Panther of the Marvel movies” dies after a 4-year battle with colon cancer.
• A massive explosion of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate at a Beirut Lebanon shipping port killed at least 190 people and injured thousands of others.
• Deadly wildfires from California to Washington State burn millions of acres of land and thousands of homes.
• Monsoon rains trigger major landslides in India leaving at least 43 dead.
• U.S. Confirmed & Probable. CASES: 5,977,153 Deaths: 175,752
• September 2020
• Sponsor vendor at 2020 ABATE State Motorcycle Rally and 1 Minnesota Gun Show.
• Papa is diagnosed with a severe case of COVID-19 and spends a week in the hospital.
• COVID-19 illness, treatment, and recovery prevented us from participating in 1 Minnesota and 1 Iowa Gun Show.
• The first of two Presidential debates between President Trump and candidate Joe Biden is filled with shouting and interruptions from both debates and the moderator.
• Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies at the age of 87.
• Violent Social Justice Riots continue throughout the US.
• U.S. Confirmed & Probable. CASES: 7,168,137 Deaths: 199,084
• October 2020
• Papa, after 11 months out of work obtains full time employment. Recession, COVID-19 restrictions, and ongoing high unemployment continue to push high unemployment levels.
• COVID-19 illness, treatment, and recovery prevented us from participating in 3 Minnesota Gun Shows.
• Participated in 1 Iowa Gun Show.
• President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are diagnosed with COVID-19.
• Rock legend Eddie Van Halen dies after a decades-long battle with cancer.
• U.S. Confirmed & Probable. CASES: 9,054,023 Deaths: 222,639
• November 2020
• All Minnesota and Iowa Gun Shows cancelled due to restrictions for COVID-19.
• Irans top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed in an apparent assassination. The attack was thought to be carried out by Israel.
• On November 7^th, 3 days after the Presidential Election, Joe Biden is announced by the news networks to become the 46^th President of the U.S. defeating President Trumps bid for re-election.
• U.S. Confirmed & Probable. CASES: 13,463,395 Deaths: 259,697
• December 2020
• Minnesota Gun Shows still stopped due to COVID-19 restrictions, large Wisconsin and some Iowa Gun Shows cancelled for same reason.
• Participated in 1 Iowa Gun Show.
• 2020 Gun Shows participated in was 15. 2019 Gun Shows participated in was 31.
• Due to many issues outside our control, the PapasOutdoors.Com website is inactivated. Our hope is that sometime in the future we can again offer Outdoor & Shooting Sports Products to our customers online.
• The first COVID-19 vaccines are approved by the US Food & Drug Administration and begin to be administered to US Citizens. Although US News Media and many politicians belittled President Trumps months prior when he stated a vaccine would be available before years-end none make corrections.
• U.S. Confirmed & Probable thru 12/25/2020.
• CASES: 18,441,429 Deaths: 320,451